Kidney Stones! Just Saying It Makes Me Cringe

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Men who have passed kidney stones say it is the male equivalent of giving birth.

The other day, a man was telling my husband about his recent excruciatingly painful experience with kidney stones. Of course, my husband then took an interest in finding out how to keep it from happening to him.

Kidney stones are one of the most common, and most painful, urinary tract disorders. While many people believe they only happen to men, the truth is that women have them too … just less often. And once you have had a stone, you are more likely to develop them again. As I heard one source put it, “Kidney stones are like dandelions. They can be eliminated, but they’ll be back next year.”

So let’s stop them before they start!

And you do that by, what else, watching your diet.

For starters, drinking lots of water throughout the day is the best way to keep stones from forming. Try for 12 ounces daily.

Eat less meat. Some researchers believe a diet high in protein can lead to stones. So eat protein rich foods in moderation.

Eat normal amounts of calcium daily. It was once believed that a low-calcium diet was important to ward off the formation of stones. Doctors believe the opposite today.

What foods should you avoid?

It is not believed that any certain foods cause kidney stones. However, for those who are at higher risk of getting them (i.e., those who have had them before or who have a family history of stones), some foods to avoid include spinach, strawberries, rhubarb, chocolate, wheat bran, nuts, beets, and coffee.

And the best tip I have to offer.

Drink cornsilk tea. Yes, that’s right, I said cornsilk. Take the silk straight from corn on the cob, boil it in water, strain, and drink. Rich in Vitamin K, cornsilk is highly valued as a support to the urinary tract system. It is believed that it can reduce the formation of kidney stones and can possibly even relieve the pain for someone who already has stones formed.